Lung cancer mortality and radon concentration in a chronically exposed neighborhood in Chihuahua, Mexico: a geospatial analysis

ScientificWorldJournal. 2014:2014:935380. doi: 10.1155/2014/935380. Epub 2014 Aug 6.

Abstract

This study correlated lung cancer (LC) mortality with statistical data obtained from government public databases. In order to asses a relationship between LC deaths and radon accumulation in dwellings, indoor radon concentrations were measured with passive detectors randomly distributed in Chihuahua City. Kriging (K) and Inverse-Distance Weighting (IDW) spatial interpolations were carried out. Deaths were georeferenced and Moran's I correlation coefficients were calculated. The mean values (over n = 171) of the interpolation of radon concentrations of deceased's dwellings were 247.8 and 217.1 Bq/m(3), for K and IDW, respectively. Through the Moran's I values obtained, correspondingly equal to 0.56 and 0.61, it was evident that LC mortality was directly associated with locations with high levels of radon, considering a stable population for more than 25 years, suggesting spatial clustering of LC deaths due to indoor radon concentrations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants, Radioactive / adverse effects*
  • Cities
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Environmental Exposure*
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Geographic Mapping
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / chemically induced*
  • Lung Neoplasms / mortality*
  • Mexico / epidemiology
  • Radon / adverse effects*
  • Spatial Analysis

Substances

  • Air Pollutants, Radioactive
  • Radon